MCC Youth Company Announces 3rd Annual FreshPlay Fest

MCC Theater has announced programming for the MCC Theater Youth Company's third annual FreshPlay Festival, which is set to take place at Theatre Row's Clurman Theatre (410 West 42nd Street) August 15-18, 2007.  Under the artistic direction of Lucy Thurber and Stephen DiMenna, this year's festival will showcase 4 works nightly, with a curtain time of 7:00 p.m.  In addition, there will be a special talk-back following the Friday, August 17 performance featuring the festival artists.

"The FreshPlay Festival is an evening of original one act plays penned by New York City teens and produced for the stage by a roster of professional directors, actors and designers.  FPF merges the voices and creativity of urban youth with the experience of professionals in an evening of provocative, innovative and fresh theater, providing talented youth the unique opportunity to see their works presented on an Off Broadway stage," according to press materials.

"The MCC Theater Youth Company is a free after-school program for New York City public school students, ages 14 -20, who are interested in acting and playwriting.  The Youth Company is designed to inspire young people to find and express their voices through the creation and performance of original theater pieces, while providing them with a safe artistic environment where they may grow and learn."

2007 FreshPlay Festival offerings are as follows:

The Fishes Dream in January
By Jennifer Goris
Age 17, Marble Hill High School
Directed by Jackson Gay
"Secrets, sex and a smashed television.  Even a cold New Year's Eve simmers in this sweltering comedic romance."

Caught Up
By Delilah Rivera
Age 18, Bronx Academy of Letters
Directed by Lou Moreno
"Where do you turn when you've exhausted all your options?  Hungry, forlorn and abandoned by her mother, Roxanne is left with only one resource: herself."

Man with Trench Coat
By Kyle-Steven Porter
Age 19, Recent graduate of Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School
Directed by Michael Barakiva
"Nobody notices the man who knows everything; the man who knows everything notices everyone.  Just another day in the park…"

Then
MCC Theater Youth Company
With Lucy Thurber
Directed by Michael Barakiva
"Fifteen friends gather for their last drink, their last argument, their last photograph and one last night together before the future – and the present - tears them apart."

The FreshPlay Festival features set design by Susan Zeeman-Rogers, costume design by Eleni Christou, lighting design by Nicole Pearce and sound design by Bart Fasbender.

For tickets, call (212) 727-7722 ext. 229.  There is a suggested donation of $10 for adults and $5 for students.  For more information, visit www.mcctheater.org. 

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